Chapter 13
chapter thirteen
Caeli.
I woke up the next morning feeling at peace. My night with Brayden proved to be just the thing I needed to push thoughts of my past and projected inadequacies into a mental box where they belonged. A box of unimportant details about my life that I now refused to obsess over. Was I completely cured of the damage my parents had done? Absolutely not. Today I was choosing to focus on the things and people that truly mattered. People that accepted me for who I was.
My life was good. Ami and I had a thriving business, we shared a healthy supportive bond with each other, and then there was Brayden. My body came alive and a smile expanded across my face at the thought of him. I lifted both hands to hide the goofy smile that bloomed before I turned my head toward the man in question.
I shifted to my side and tucked an arm under my head, propping myself up enough to study Brayden. His expression was relaxed and the rise and fall of his chest was steady and even. I smiled at his handsome face while lifting a hand to allow the tip of my finger to softly move over the curve of his jaw and across his lips. Lips that only a few hours ago burned memories of their skillfulness over almost every inch of my body.
“You got pants on?”
I smiled at the low rumble of his sleep-laced voice. “No, why?”
“Because if you don’t, I can forgive you for the creepy ass way you’re laying up here staring at me and playing with my face.”
My smile expanded when he peeled one eye open, eased an arm under my body, and jerked me on top of him. I wiggled for comfort and stacked my hands on his chest, resting my chin on them. “It’s not creepy. It’s endearing.”
“It’s damn sure not endearing. For all I know you were staring at me planning all the ways you could end my existence.” When he smiled, his dimple surfaced.
“That’s not what I was thinking.”
His hands moved over my waist and down my back, cupping my ass. “Then what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that maybe I should put less energy in allowing my past to disrupt my future.”
“That’s very productive. I approve.”
“Mhm.”
“And what’s your future looking like?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.”
I yelped when I was flipped onto my back and Brayden’s weight landed on me. “How about I show you instead…” He smiled sexily and moved down my body. I held my breath with anticipation but never received the reward because someone laid onto Brayden’s doorbell like a maniac and officially became my mortal enemy.
“You expecting company?”
“No, and if that’s Nox, I’m going to murder him,” he ground out, lifting from me. I watched while he tossed the covers back, reached for his phone off the nightstand, and swiped a few times. I also noticed how his posture stiffened as he glared at the screen. “The fuck is she doing here?” he mumbled angrily before tossing the phone on the bed.
“Who?”
“Nobody, stay here.” I sat up and watched his naked body move across the room where he snatched up a pair of sweats from a chair sitting in the corner then stormed out just as whoever she was laid on the doorbell again.
My eyes darted to his phone which was taunting me, still unlocked and showing the camera app he just viewed until I eventually said fuck it and reached for the device. I squinted at the visual of an older woman with one palm pressed to the outer frame of the door. She occasionally looked up at the camera with narrowed eyes. Although she wasn’t smiling she exposed a crater in her chestnut dark brown cheek and other features which looked eerily familiar.
His mother.
When I heard the door open, fumbling feet on hardwood floors, and Brayden’s elevated, agitated tone, I tossed the phone on the bed, threw the covers back, and climbed off the mattress. I lifted Brayden’s t-shirt from last night, hastily tossed it over my head, and crept into the hallway.
“It’s eight in the morning and you’re drunk.”
“Eight in the morning, eight at night, what difference does it make? I’m grown, Brayden. I’m the parent, you don’t get to police my behaviors.”
“Then maybe you should act like the parent .”
Without meaning to, I found myself tipping closer to the stairs and down them until I had a visual of the two. Brayden was standing a few feet from the door, body stiff with anger, muscles locked tightly while his mother was leaning against the wall next to the door like she needed it for support. After a moment or two, she pushed away from it, wagging a finger in his face while barely managing to keep her footing.
“I don’t need to act like shit. I am and have been a good parent. You have been a terrible son. You took everything. You are the reason I don’t have a damn life for myself but you don’t care about that, do you?”
Brayden didn’t move or speak. He remained still as a statue, glaring at his mother, expression hard and threatening.
“You’re not going to say anything, son ?”
“No.”
“Of course not, you’re ungrateful. You took every bit of happiness I had. You want to know why I’m drunk at eight in the morning…” She shoved a finger into his chest. “I’m drunk because the joy of finding my way to the bottom of an empty bottle is the only joy I have in my life thanks to my very ungrateful bastard of a son. Do you know why you’re a bastard? I’ll tell you why. You’re a bastard because your father left the minute he found out you existed. I should have never had you. I should have got rid of you and he would have stayed. I was young and stupid enough to think that keeping you would make him see how much I cared about us , about our future together. Now I don’t have shit, not a damn thing but you.”
“Go home.” Brayden’s tone was unreasonably calm but arctic. I had no idea how he managed to remain so level after his mother’s rant. My heart shattered for him.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay right here in your face to remind you that you’re the reason I’m miserable. You’re the reason I’m drunk at eight in the morning. You’re the…”
“Go! Home!” He yelled so loud I swore I felt the words vibrate through me from where I stood midway down the stairs. She reared her head back and lifted a hand to slap him but he caught her wrist, gripped it firmly, and shoved her back, advancing on her at the same time. “Get the fuck out of my house. Stay the fuck out of my life. You want to blame me for ruining your life, fine, do whatever the fuck you want. Just do it from anywhere other than here. I don’t owe you a damn thing. I never asked to be here, I never asked to be your constant reminder of a man that didn’t give a damn about you. He left and maybe it was because of me but if he was worth a damn he wouldn’t have. Real men don’t run from responsibility, they grow the fuck up and do what needs to be done. But you don’t know anything about that, do you, May .”
Brayden released the hold he had on her and leveled his face over hers. “Get the fuck out of my house. Do us both a favor and leave like he did years ago. You can pretend I don’t exist from now on. Because as far as I’m concerned, you no longer do. I’m tired of this shit. This back and forth is overdone. Consider this my last time entertaining your pity party. I’m done caring.”
He stormed off and a few minutes later a door somewhere in the kitchen slammed. My mouth dropped open and I stood there completely at a loss, trying to decide what to do, but the decision was made for me when his mother fumbled to the door, jerking a hand in her pocket to remove a key fob. Instead of exiting the front door, she moved to the left of it and opened the one to the coat closet.
Shit.
I can’t let her leave.
Regardless of his demand for his mother to vacate his house, she couldn’t find her way out the front door which was wide open. There was no way she needed to be behind the steering wheel of a vehicle. She could not only harm herself but others and I refused to allow that to happen.
“Hey…”
She swung her head in my direction and tripped over her feet from the quick movement. I hurried down the stairs and caught her just before she fell into the closet.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Caeli. Why don’t you come with me? I can make you some coffee…”
“Coffee?” She attempted to jerk out of my grasp. “I don’t want no damn coffee. I want to leave and I don’t know you.”
I panicked. “You can’t leave. I just… why don’t you come with me for a second.”
I gently tugged her toward me and hooked an arm around her waist. Thankfully she allowed me to guide her into the living room where she flopped down on the sofa. After righting herself she issued a narrowed stare, looking me up and down.
“You sleeping with my son?”
My eyes went wide and my mouth dropped open for the second time due to this woman. A smug grin eased onto her face. “Yeah, you are.”
“We’re friends,” I defended.
“You’re fucking.” She pointed to my legs and it wasn’t until that very moment I realized I wasn’t properly dressed.
Instead of denying her statement, I marched to the sofa, yanked the key fob from her hand, and pointed it at her. “I’ll keep this. You stay put. If you’re going to throw around accusations of me sleeping with your son, you can at least appease me and drink some damn coffee.” She threw her hands up and let her head fall back. I took that as her agreeing to my terms and went to make coffee.
As soon as I entered the kitchen my eyes drifted to the door that led to the basement. The same door I realized slammed after Brayden stormed off. He was in the basement, working through his frustrations. I considered going to talk to him but thought it best to sober his mother up and get her out of the house first.
Luckily there was a Keurig on the counter next to a wire rack holding coffee pods. I snagged a mug from one of the cabinets and made quick work of brewing a cup. Once the steamy hot blend was complete, I bypassed sugar and cream and marched back to the living room where I found his mother fast asleep, slumped over the arm of the sofa.
Wonderful .
I placed the mug on the coffee table and shook her aggressively, only to get a few grunts before she swatted me away. There was no use in trying. She wasn’t budging so instead of drinking coffee to sober up, I suppose she was going to sleep it off. But I would be right here waiting when she peeled her eyes open.
I heard movement but my mind was too cloudy to fully process where the movement was coming from until a female voice followed.
“Where the hell is my damn key? It has to be here somewhere.”
My lids fluttered open and I felt the ache and stiffness in my limbs from being tucked uncomfortably beneath my body. I groaned as I untangled my legs and slowly lifted my head from the arm of the recliner where I dozed off after staring at Brayden’s mom sleeping for longer than I should have.
“I have your key,” I muttered, which granted me the glare of a pair of brown eyes I recognized. It was eerie how much Brayden and his mother resembled each other.
“Why the hell do you have my key?” She dropped the sofa cushion, which she didn’t bother pushing back in place, and glared at me.
“Because you were drunk when you got here and had no business driving.”
Her expression shifted from agitated to downright angry. “And who the hell are you?”
“Caeli. We met hours ago, but again, you were drunk. I’m sure you don’t remember.”
Brown orbs swept me introspectively then accusingly when they lowered to my bare legs. “Sleeping with my son doesn’t give you the right to disrespect me.”
“I wouldn’t think it did but I haven’t disrespected you.” Yet . I angled my head to the side and she smiled smugly.
“Give me my damn key so that I can leave.” She approached and extended a hand which I ignored, electing to keep my eyes on her face.
“You can have your key, but first, I’d like to say something.”
“Don’t bother. I don’t give a damn what you have to say and not only does sleeping with my son not grant you the right to disrespect me, it also doesn’t provide you with the right to lecture me. Whatever you think you want to say, don’t.”
She reached for the key clasped tightly in my fist. I maneuvered my hand until it was out of reach and stepped closer, jutting my chin forward. “I’m not going to lecture you but I am going to offer you a bit of advice. Count your blessings. I heard what you said to Bray and you should be ashamed to call yourself his mother while at the same time proud that he’s your son.”
She snorted a laugh. “Why the hell should I be ashamed?”
“You’re a horrible person and mother.”
“Did he tell you that?”
“No, I was able to make the determination on my own after your actions. The worst part of all this is regardless of how terrible of a mother you are, you still managed to end up with a son who is brilliant, kind, and caring. He’s the kind of man who puts others first, Lennox, me, you, even though I know you’re not deserving of his consideration.”
“Caring? Considerate?” She reared her head back. “You don’t know shit about that boy.”
“ Man , he bypassed the stages of being a boy a very long time ago and I know enough. I know that he allowed you to say horrible things to him and instead of physically tossing you out on your ass he walked away because regardless of how terrible a person you are, you’re still his mother. He was kind enough not to treat you like the mean spirited person you are. Your son is a much better individual than you. You’re sober now, you should leave. Had I not been fearful that your reckless behaviors would have put others at risk, unlike Brayden, I would have tossed you out on your ass, like he should have.”
I pushed my hand forward to expose the key fob. She snatched it and glared hatefully for a moment longer before edging closer. “You can think whatever you want about me, little girl. You don’t know shit in regards to my life and if you don’t want to personally experience hard lessons on what made me such a terrible person, then I suggest you be very careful about opening your legs for my son.” She smiled smugly. “It would be a pity if he ended up just like his father and you like me.”
She turned and left as if she had the right to be offended. I stood there disliking Brayden’s mother more than I disliked my own and I had a feeling my opinion of both would never change.